Ergo Proxy Chronicles

by N0m4D

* UPDATED *My novelization of the entire Ergo Proxy series plus the addition of a few side stories, scenes, and characters that were never seen before in the Anime.

2. Part One: Awakening

Part 1: Awakening

Chapter 1

7:59. 54 AM
7:59 .55 AM
7:59. 56 AM
7:59. 57 AM
7:59. 58 AM

Real Mayer blindly reached over to press a round button that turned off the alarm on a small digital clock.

8:00. 00 AM

Perfect timing, again… she thought with her eyes still closed and face buried in pillows. Her head turned back over to the side to peak at the clock once more before calculating the hours of sleep in her mind. 8:00.12, I slept for a full eight hours yet it still feels like I've only for one. The warmth of the covers made her wish to lay around for another hour or so but she chose to alternatively inch herself out of bed since it would either be her or her Entourage, Iggy who would be doing the waking. As her bare feet landed on the cold hard-wood flooring, she surveyed the interior of her dark bedroom.
It was fairly small, complete with a double-sized bed which was positioned in the upper middle side of the room next to a small drawer/nightstand, and a computer desk console (CDC) on the opposite side. To the right were a window, bookshelf, and the bathroom whereas on the other end were the walk-in closet and the door which lead out to the other rooms. Despite being the age of 19, her area displayed almost nothing that showed the interests or personality of a late teenager. Only a desk full of cluttered files and paperwork, a few photographs, and some textbooks and novels. But then again, in a society where citizens were persuaded to not be burdened by needless, materialistic things, there was little place for anything extra in her life. Real didn't really mind; there weren't any people who would be really interested in either her room or life. Plus being busy with work and errands never really gave Real the chance to decorate her home.
Work… the thought of it made her sigh deeply as she ran her fingers between her long, black hair. "First things, first…" Real whispered as she stood up and moved towards her CDC to sit down in the blue, swiveling chair. Her finger then pressed the silver button on the side of the desk which activated the holographic display image in front of her.

Welcome! Please log in.
Username: Re-l Mayer
Password:

Real entered her 8 lettered password using the built in keyboard and then hit enter to gain access. After the desktop booted up, she clicked the notification tab on the bottom lower-right hand corner that was flashing a "Two Unread Messages" label to reveal one email from the Citizens' Intelligence Bureau.

Re-l, I know it's a little early in the morning to be asking you favors but we already have an assignment.
Believe it or not, but there have been a string of murders happening last night and suspect it may be the

work of a Cogito infected auto-reiv. We're having you check out the AR Disposal Unit to see if they have any
information so it may help to question Vincent Law who was the one out on his shift at those hours.
Additional information has been uploaded onto your DPN (Digital Personal Notebook).

Good Luck,
Cage Seal.

I haven't even brushed my teeth yet and I've already been given something to do. Real looked to her left and reached for the black notebook which was buried underneath a pile of papers. Once picked up, she stared at the object and sighed before saying,"I'll look at it later," then slid the DPN back on the desk to check the other notification. The second message was from her Grandfather who requested her to come down as soon as possible. She simply responded back with,

I've just been given an assignment to inspect the AR Control Division. I'll try to visit some other time.

Re-l

After replying, Real turned her head towards the photograph of her grandfather who was sitting in his throne next to a child version of her. She often found that photo both ironic and amusing since on the left displayed a little girl full of energy and youth whereas on the right, it represented a frail, old man who's paralyzed and hooked up to life support. Even ten years ago you looked just as ancient and helpless…

Despite being her grandfather, the two rarely ever bonded closely nor saw each other much since Real was either busy with work and her grandfather barely ever showed signs of affection or attention. However, the thing she disliked the most was his throne room. She's always felt as if it gave off a dark aura; even scaring her sometimes when she was little (not to mention the occasional lecturing of her behavior by the four council-reivs).
There was then a knock which startled Real, "Are you awake yet?" the door to her left swung open to reveal her entourage, Iggy. The Auto-Reiv was in the form of a human male who stood nearly seven feet tall and encased in a gold-orange colored nano-shell. His beige colored facemask resembled that of a bearded human yet his gray, colorless eyes reminded her that he was an auto-reiv.
"Good morning! My, Real… You're still in your sleepwear! Don't you plan on getting dressed? I'm already in the process of making breakfast for you." Iggy's tone often made her question whether he was simply an auto-reiv or a reincarnation of one of her parents.
"I'm already finished here so I'll be out as soon as I take a shower. Besides, we got work to do today."
"An assignment given this early in the morning? Must be important. We'll go as soon as you're finished eating." Iggy suddenly looked over his shoulder, "I better make sure nothing's burnt, please don't take more than an hour in the bathroom again…" He then started to move towards the kitchen. Real turned back to her CDC and smiled, being grateful for the fact that Iggy was in her life.

Chapter 2
W-w-where am I? The young man felt as if his mind was cut off from his senses; his body felt immovable, his ears heard nothing but an empty silence, his lungs were unable to scream, but his eyes saw a dark, clouded, grainy, wasteland which stretched on for what seemed to be miles. He had no recollection of how he arrived or where he was. Yet somehow, it seemed very familiar to him.
A shadowed figure wearing what seemed to be a cloak suddenly appeared in the distance.
"Vincent…" The man heard his name being whispered in the air.
Is he… calling me?
"Vincent." The voice's volume increased a little.
Who are you?
"Vincent!"
What do you want from me?
"VINCENT!"
Why am I here?
"VINCENT!!!!!!!!!!"
Vincent's eyes opened to reveal the interior of the Auto-Reiv Disposal Unit's empty lounge and the face of a middle-aged man with a squared moustache, greased back hair, and a red-orange jumpsuit uniform. It was his boss, Petro Seller; the head of the AR Control Division.
"You awake…?"

Vincent quickly sat up from the sofa and felt his body temperature rise from embarrassment underneath his clothes. "H-huh? Yeah, sorry…" He said while wiping the stream of saliva that was on the side of his mouth.
Petro sighed, "Listen Vince, I know you were out late on a shift last night but that still doesn't give you the privilege to take a nap in our lounge area. Since, my office is down the hall, you could've just went in and requested to take the day off. Not only that, but we expected you to bring back something bigger than that small fry auto-reiv you bagged a few hours ago."
Vincent looked down towards the stained tile floor and apologized quietly. "Sorry. It won't happen again…"
Seller sighed again, "Anyways, some people up in the Citizens Intelligence Bureau are coming down here to check up on something so I think it's better for you to go to the bathroom and clean yourself up. You look like shit." He finished that sentence with a smile and a pat on his subordinate's shoulder.
"Y-yes sir." Vincent stood up walked past his boss into the faded, gray-painted hallway while thinking about why the CIB were coming. After entering into the tiny low-lit restroom, he turned on the sink's faucet and held out his hands underneath the running warm water to splash the liquid on his face. Doing so made Vincent feel very refreshed as he looked back at the small, green eyes which stared back through the stained mirror.
Vincent Law was a 20 year old male who was slim, stood about 5'10", and had medium length black hair which was greased back in the same fashion of all the other workers of the AR Disposal Unit. Of the company that he worked for, Law was the youngest of the team and not necessarily the brightest or strongest. Boss Seller would consider him simply "a coward who can get the job done", which Vincent simply accepted. There's no point in being a hero if it'll get you killed. Besides, I've got more important things to do like earning a full citizenship of this city.
However, something inside him felt as if it wanted to contradict everything Vincent said and thought.

After eating a light breakfast of Pâté with a few slices of bread and coffee while listening to Iggy complain about her constant choice of dark clothing, Real got in the backseat of her black sedan before her entourage began driving the car towards the AR Control Division's Headquarters at a constant, comfortable speed. Initially, there was silence throughout the car ride up until they reached one of Romdeau's freeways where Iggy's mechanical voice chimed in with the humming of the car's engine.
"I read your recent messages; aren't you going to visit your grandfather? It's been quite a while since you have."
Real's eyes momentarily looked up in surprise of the question, "Tch, no point. He would just lecture me on this and that, again."
"Aren't you a sheltered little girl…"
"Iggy, don't you have more important things to talk about?"
"Right, what do you think about these recent killing-sprees that have been happening across the city? I hear that the Intelligence Bureau is looking into almost every auto-reiv out there but have yet to found a connection. They seem pretty tight-lipped about the whole thing so if you ask me, it's as if they were hiding something."
Real on the other hand was paying little attention to Iggy's thoughts. Her mind was more focused on analyzing the data that were shown on the holographic pages of her DPN. Sites for the murders appear to have no pattern at all. 19 deaths between distances so wide in such a short time period.
"I heard Skyla was pretty disappointed about you taking the case. I bet hearing that pleases you a little." Iggy joked while Real was still in a deep thought.
Could it have been done by multiple people or auto-reivs? Hard to imagine one murderer going around, but…
"I highly doubt it's the work of an infected auto-reiv though. The murders seem way too… brutal." Iggy then turned his head slightly towards the back seat, "Real?"
"I heard you!" It's hard enough to concentrate in the car with you talking. "Chat mode OFF." She commanded.
"Understood," Iggy replied in a deeper monotone voice as he turned his head back towards the road. "Requesting confirmation…".
"Keep it off until we reach the AR Control Division's Headquarters."
"Confirmed."
Silence returned back to the interior of the car as Real closed her notebook and gave out another long sigh. Her eyes then ventured to the side window where she saw the sights of the city's many, gray skyscrapers along with the tallest tower in the center which belonged to her grandfather. Humanity's last and final paradise from the dead outside world; where people live in peace without fear and doubt and the need for emotion. It's such a boring paradise…

"So, Vincent. The PK30 worker class auto-reiv that escaped was infected?" the female voice of Law's entourage, Dorothy, echoed through the lounge as Vincent poured his fruit-flavored cereal into a small, white paper bowl.
"Sorry," he apologized quietly, "The thing knocked me out when I wasn't looking."
"I'll be sure to mention it in the report. Be sure to answer as truthfully and detailed once the Citizen's Security Bureau's inspector arrives. Here's your next case, by the way." The slim, black auto-reiv slid an open folder onto the dining table, "It's nothing big, just a check-up on a companion class in the residential district."
Vincent picked up the folder and glanced over the front page which displayed a small photograph of a little girl with long brown hair and pale skin. Amazing, this is an auto-reiv?
"I know this job seems a little stale but believe me, it's for your own benefit of becoming a full-fledged citizen."
"I see." Vincent said quietly as he poured the carton of milk into his cereal.
"You won't become a full-fledged citizen if the only people you talk to are auto-reivs…" The sudden voice from behind caused him to accidentally overflow his bowl which spilled onto the table and dripped down onto the floor. Law turned around towards the voice to see the familiar, pale face of a woman he had encountered before.
"Inspector, Real!"

Chapter 3:
13 months ago, in Cage Sellers' office

"WHAT?! WHY?! Real slammed her fists down on Chief Sellers CDC and leaned so closely in that she could practically smell his cologne.
"Real, Please! Control your emotions." Cage replied with his palms facing forward as if trying to create a barrier against his subordinate's fury.
"WHY ARE YOU PLACING ME WITH HER?! I CAN HANDLE THIS JOB ON MY OWN WITH IGGY AND YOU KNOW THAT!" Her eyes stared straight across the gray desk into his brown eyes which occasionally wandered away from hers.
"Ok, listen to me. I know you and Skyla don't really get along too fondly but we need someone with the analytical skills of a scientist for this particular case."
"Then get someone else! May I recommend Dae-"
"Daedalus Yumeno? Yes, we've already tried, but he appears to be preoccupied with his own work to help us out. Besides, Spencer's skills are top-notch and she's one of THE best crime lab scientists here."
"She belongs here, at the bureau, in her cozy little lab, outside from danger," and out of my way. Real thought without remorse.
Sellers stood up from his chair and looked at Mayer sternly in the eye. "Danger? Real, first of all, you're forgetting that it is I who is in charge here, not you. I do not care if you were one of the select few able to graduate from the academy years ahead of your classmates, one of the best of our organization, or if you're the granddaughter of our Regent. You're still my subordinate and out ranked by me! Second of all, this is Romdeau. The danger you speak of is nearly non-existent here and simply one of your fallacies and lame attempts at trying to convince me to let you go alone when I know full well you can't handle something like this."
"But, sir-"
"ENOUGH! You'll do as I say, follow my exact orders, and be paired up with whomever I choose! Do I make myself clear?!"
The unexpected shot back made her recoil and look away from her boss. "Yes, sir…" Real said quietly in defeat as Sellers slowly sat back down and began typing on his CDC.
"I've sent you the updates on the case to yours and Skyla's DPN so take a look at it as soon as possible. It's 2:42 in the afternoon right now so I think you should leave within the hour."
"Yes, sir." Real bowed her head slightly and then stepped outside the office's door where Iggy was waiting patiently.
"Real!"
But before he was able to ask if she was alright, the auto-reiv heard his name being called from within the room. "Iggy, can you come inside for a minute? I want to talk to you in privacy." The entourage looked at his master as if to ask her what he should do.
Real simply looked up and smiled, "It's ok, I'll wait in the car until you're done. Don't forget to come down and pick up Skyla and her entourage." She began walking down the window-lit hall until turning a corner and was out of sight. Iggy then walked inside a carpet-floored office which consisted of a rosewood GDC in the center, two chairs, and a weary man who wore a black silk vest over a white collared shirt and was holding his head in his hands in stress, sitting across the chairs. After the entourage closed the door behind him, Sellers moved his hand away to reveal the face of a man in his late 40s with graying-brown, mushroom styled hair, and a goatee.
"Chief, I'm very sorry for Real's behavior and I'll assure you that no similar incident shall happen again on my watch."
"No, no. There's no need for apologies." Cage replied while slightly waving his left hand, "I understand that Real has been living a pretty rough life despite being the "princess" of our city. Especially, ever since that horrible event that took place four years ago. I could imagine it would be hard for you to take care of her on your own for so long."
"The murders of her mother and father have surely affected her emotionally and mentally, but have also driven her to be one of the top inspectors here at the bureau."
Sellers gave out a small sigh, "I wonder how different things would be if Annette and Tomas Mayer were both still alive. Shame the killer hasn't been apprehended yet. Anyways, I called you in here simply to ask why Real and Skyla aren't at the best of terms."
"Their rivalry stemmed from the days of the academy. The two would constantly be competing against one another to prove who was more superior."
"Really? It's that simple?"
"Possibly, but the two also seem be polar opposites of each other in terms of personality and characteristics. For example, Skyla tends to welcome support and working with others whereas Real has adopted a more reserved and independent mentality. Skyla also seems to have easier interactions with people while Real is… well… constantly a few steps away from being a model citizen. Don't think of it as them hating each other but more of how they can't stand one another."
"Makes sense… I do hope this little assignment may help improve relations between the two." There was a brief pause before a knock on the door was heard and Seller's entourage (which was shaped in the form of a female and had a black nano-suit with a white facemask) walked in.
"Sorry to disturb you chief, but the Security bureau has requested an audience with you to discuss the recent turn of events."

"Yes, I'll be out in two seconds." He then stood up and looked at Iggy, "I understand Real is waiting for you so you may go now."
Iggy bowed in the similar fashion Real did earlier, "Thank you, sir." And left the office to pick up Skyla.

The car ride towards the newly constructed FG Immigration District felt both long and full of tension to Real as she sat in the passenger seat in front of a young, blond haired, skinny woman, wearing a beige long coat she knew as Skyla Spencer.
"Iggy, how much further until we reach the crime scene?" Skyla asked,
"Less than a mile from the looks of our current location. On the third exit we'll be there."
"You don't mind speeding up a little, do you? It's best if we get there as quick as possible."
"Well, I don't want to push the speed limit but I suppose accelerating a bit more wouldn't hurt."
Real then turned around to face the rear seat, "Hey! Iggy is my entourage so you don't have any right to give him orders. Besides, what's the rush? Are you so eager to get out of the car away from me?"
Spencer simply sat there and smiled slyly, "Of course not, I just figured we should get there as soon as possible so that we can avoid traffic and get there before any of the auto-reivs or immigrants mess up the crime scene."
Mayer's eyes then moved to the right towards Skyla's blue, female, entourage, Taera, who was furiously scribbling something into a DPN. She then faced forward and quietly whispered "Tch, Sure…"
"C'mon, Real. Don't you trust me at all? We work for the same people and fight for the same causes."

"Iggy, speed things up a bit." Real commanded before feeling an invisible force push down on her body as the car accelerated.

To the newcomers of the city, the immigration district was a new beginning to a whole new life and also a refuge from the disasters of both the outside world and their past. Real on the other hand saw it as a pointless, displeasing add-on that's only purpose was to help spur Romdeau's population. The streets were packed with rag-tag immigrants while the construction workers (both human and auto-revis) dwelled in the tall, skeletal, unfinished buildings.Apart from the artificial blue sky, everything was structured, dark, gray, metallic, dull, and simply ugly compared to the city's other areas which were elegant and more comforting. But then again, these are simply immigrants who I doubt really care… She thought as her eyes observed the view outside the car's window.
It's still strange how quickly after Romdeau's invasion of the Mosko dome, we build a district for the surviving refugees. Why? Why would we wage war on another city then welcome them with open arms? It's as if Romdeau was trying to steal their population or something like that. Then again, I never really understood why we went to war with them in the first place; no one really ever understood why. The council told me it was simply for the survival of Romdeau, but is that really all?
"We're here!" Iggy said before parallel parking the car in front of a large, two-story, white-bricked building which rested behind a set of low-level, concrete stairs. The double, glass door entrance was guarded by two bipedal, white, droids which were somewhat larger than an average sized human and utilized two assault-rifles as arms. Behind the armed auto-reivs was a portly male wearing a gray suit under a simple black shirt who began descending down the steps as Real, Iggy, Skyla, and her entourage emerged from the car. The man who appeared to be in his early fifties had a very stout face with a neatly groomed brown beard and hair which was greased back to reveal a large forehead.
"Ah, I see the Citizen Intelligence Bureau's specialists have arrived!" The man spoke with a hearty, deep voice, "I am Manager John Ameri and welcome to the newly established Immigration center." Ameri said as his right index finger pointed towards the white building behind him before offering his hand out to shake.
"Inspector Real Mayer," she responded with an extension of her own right hand to feel the manager's very firm grip.
"The granddaughter of our regent, herself! I am greatly honored by your presence. And who are your companions?"
"This is my entourage and partner, Iggy, and Dr. Spencer and her auto-reiv who are part of our science research and crime-lab department."
Ameri nodded and smiled at Skyla as she responded with a simple "Pleased to meet you." She then turned to Mayer and asked "Real, can you open the trunk so that I can grab my equipment?"
"Iggy." Real motioned towards her auto-reiv who obeyed without hesitation. Her eyes then looked back at the manager's placid face. "Can you tell me what you know so far?"
John's brown eyes momentarily looked up as he tried to recount the incident then stared straight back into Real's. "It was close to one in the afternoon. My subordinates and I were in the middle of processing the newest immigrants from Mosko when one of my employee's came in screaming about something that has happened in the men's bathroom. So I follow him in and we find the room completely trashed with four dead bodies lying on the floor."
"I see. Do you have any idea who the assailant is?" Mayer asked with her arms folded.
"My employee who informed me of the incident said that he saw an immigrant standing over their bodies before coming to me."
"And this immigrant, where is he?"
"The armed auto-reivs are guarding him in my holding area. I highly suspect it's him…"
"It's best to keep your suspicions to yourself; we'll confirm whether or not he was the victims' killer." Real then turned around and faced Spencer, "Finished?"
"Yeah, it's all packed." Skyla said as she patted a black duffel bag her auto-reiv carried with both hands at the handle.
"Keep the trunk open; I want to grab one more thing…" she moved towards the rear of the car and pulled out a small, pump-action, shotgun which had the words,

Redeemer

engraved on the receiver's side directly above the trigger.
"A-are you really going to need that?" Ameri asked with one eyebrow raised.
Real tucked it in the holster next to her right thigh then looked at him with a stern look, "You'll never know if things go from straightforward to complicated." Her instincts were correct for in a few hours, they would indeed need the weapon. Badly.

The men's bathroom was exactly how Manager Ameri described; trashed with four dead bodies of an immigrant male and three of the facility's employees. The tan colored walls had areas of cracks and craters from what seemed to be heavy impact while the floors were scattered with shards of broken mirror glass and random spots of blood. Two of the employees dressed in all gray were lying on their stomach with their heads turned to the side along with another who sat against the wall with his face looking down. Near a broken toilet seat in the right hand corner slumped a dead immigrant who wore a casual shirt and pants soaked in his own blood. Real noticed immediately there was neither a window for the killer to escape nor any signs projectiles used to carry out the murders.
"What happened…?" Spencer whispered in awe as she stood just outside the door behind Real.
"What's wrong, Skyla? Don't tell me you're scared." Real said with a sly smile.
"Hmph. Taera, prepare my equipment." Spencer motioned as she bumped into Mayer from behind on purpose and walked closer towards the crime scene. The entourage followed in and placed the duffel bag flat on the floor before unzipping it to reveal a large collection of products and instruments which were neatly packed into several pockets and compartments including, a set of plastic vials, gloves, infrared and black light scanners, a small camera, and a small, flat, gray, box with two parallel slits about a foot long on top. Skyla reached in and pulled the device out with one hand and set it on the ground a few inches away from one of the bodies. Her slender hands then pushed a red switch on the side which caused a large holographic screen to appear above the upper slit at an obtuse angle with the familiar text box,

Welcome! Please log in.
Username: Skyla Spencer
Password:

The slit below it projected another holographic screen which formed the exact image of a keyboard and a touchpad on the right in a teal hue. 'Real, I'm going to analyze and scan the bodies. Can you check the other ones for any physical evidence?"
"Iggy, take a look at that employee member at the wall." Real said after walking towards the toilet and kneeling down to observe the dead immigrant. It was extremely difficult for her to estimate accurately the victim's age since his face was so badly swollen, bruised, and bloody to the point it was unrecognizable. The only thing that seemed to help was his hair color which showed no signs of gray and his skin which had little wrinkles and visible blood vessels. I'm guessing he's young and obviously died from taking too many blows to the head from that toilet seat. What an interesting way to die… Mayer thought as her eyes watched the blood slowly drip down from his forehead to the tile floor. She then stood up again and moved towards the manager who was spectating the investigation from the bathroom door's threshold. "Mr. Ameri, I would like to visit the witnesses and the suspect your security apprehended."
John looked at her face in astonishment, "Are you done here already?"
"Not quite, but it's best to analyze the situation from all possible points of angles before jumping to conclusions. You understand?"
"Y-Yes." Ameri cleared his throat and spoke again, "Jacob Yae, who found the crime scene, is currently in the lobby while the suspect is currently in our holding cell down the hall."
Real turned her head towards the left to talk to Iggy who was still scanning the corpse with his augmented eyes. "Iggy, what have you found out so far?"
"It's quite obvious that the deaths were caused by battery. In the case of this employee, he was pinned up to the wall and strangled to death."
"How on earth did you figure that out?" John asked.
"There are small marks on the wall behind this victim which suggests that he was kicking quite furiously while being held up. But strangely, there seems to be no sign of any DNA or prints anywhere on or near the body."
"I found the same results, as well." Skyla spoke, "The scanners aren't picking up anything so I'm guessing the suspect may have been really careful about not leaving any traces."
"Keep searching. Skyla, I'm going to leave the crime scene to you and Taera," Real's head turned back to her entourage, "Iggy, go interview Jacob Yae in the lobby and then call my phone once you've gathered enough information. Don't forget to record the information down for later usage and send it to my DPN."
"Confirmed, I'll get started right away." And the auto-reiv walked out the room.
"Mr. Ameri, will you escort me to the suspect's holding area?"
"Of course."
"By the way, have you identified who he is?"
"Hmm, I believe his name is Vincent Law…"

Chapter 4 (In Progress)
After a short walk down a wide, gray hallway which was tiled in a black-and-white checkered pattern, the two stopped in front of a metal door which was guarded by an armed auto-reiv.
"Is the suspect still inside?" Ameri asked the machine.
"Yes, there have been little signs of movement and the infrared sensors reveal that he's remained in that position since you left him." The auto-reiv responded monotonely through its speaker.
"Good, then please move aside to allow myself and the inspector to get further acquainted with our friend inside."
"Confirmed." The droid stiffly took a few steps to the side which allowed the manager to insert a keycard above the doorknob. A series of beeps and clicking noises followed prior to the door swinging open to reveal a dark, miniscule, white-bricked room with an aluminum table and chairs at the center. Across lone piece of furniture sat a pale man about the same age as Real who had medium length, messy, brown hair and tiny eyes which made it impossible to tell whether or not they were open or closed. He wore all white clothing and was not at all large in size and stature which caused Real to judge that he looked rather weak. They believe HE'S the murderer? I could take him down without even reaching for my guns.
"Mr. Ameri," Real said after taking a few steps inside the holding cell, "I would like to speak to him alone with your permission. Meanwhile, I need you to access your immigrant database for any information on the suspect."
The manager looked both puzzled and hesitant at first but nodded in approval. He left shortly afterwards while closing the door behind him. "Vincent Law…" Mayer repeated his name upon taking the seat on the opposing side of the man.
"Y-yes?" his voice was soft and seemed as if it lacked confidence.
"I am inspector Real Mayer of the Citizen's Intelligence Bureau. You're currently under the suspicion for the murders of three of the facility's employees and another one of your fellow immigrants. Do you understand your current situation?"
"It wasn't me…" Vincent said in almost a whisper, "w-why do you people keep thinking that?"
"Do you understand how serious this is of an offense? First of all, it's murder. Second of all, with your status of being a new immigrant here, you've no chance of escaping persecution, banishment, and possibly death."
"IT WASN'T ME!" the sudden change in tone surprised Real a little, "Why don't you believe what I tell them? Why don't you listen to what I have to say?"
"Then tell me, who was it?" Mayer shot back in equal volume.
"I-it was an auto-reiv….." Vincent's voice quieted down as he made his statement. "Please, believe me."
"Impossible! Auto-reivs were created to protect humans, not harm them. You must be lying!"
"I'm not!"
"Then tell me why you are here, why were you standing over the bodies, and how were they killed!" Real's ice-blue eyes seemed to glow with fury prior to taking a deep breath and calming herself down, "Just, tell me what happened."
Vincent simply looked back sheepishly, "U-uh. I came here to obtain my immigration papers along with a number of other recent immigrants that I traveled with. I was in the middle of an interview when I started feeling nauseous and went to the men's bathroom where there were already a few people already in there before me. Anyways, I went off into one of the stalls where I started to throw up into the toilet and that's when I heard some strange crashes and screams from outside."
"Which stall was that?" Mayer asked.
"The one to the left of the stall in the upper, right-hand corner."
"I'll have someone check that toilet for DNA samples to confirm whether what you said is true. Anyways, continue."
"I peaked through the crack between the door and stall to see what was going on and…"
"..And…?"
"There was a black auto-reiv there… Th-those men tried to restrain it down but didn't stand a chance and got killed. I could hear a guy in the stall next to me whimpering and crying in fear before the door opened and he started screaming."
"That's where his head was smashed into the toilet, correct?"
"Y-Yes…" Vincent took a deep breath and whispered, "God, It felt like hours before I came out, thinking it was safe."
"Hours? Is that how long they were dead for?"
"Huh? N-no, It was more like 10 minutes later. I was pretty shaken up, though. The auto-reiv was no where and I figured I should check to see whether or not the victims were still alive. That's when one of the employees walked in and started running out the door screaming 'murder' and some men came into restrain me momentarily after."
"I see. This auto-reiv, what class was it?"
"Class? Uh. I'm not sure… It looked a lot like a human except with a white face and red eyes."
"Entourage class." But with red eyes? Entourage's ocular augmentations are usually gray "I'll look into it, thank you for your time." Real stood up and began moving towards the door.
"W-wait! Do you believe me?"
There was a short pause before she opened her mouth and responded with a simple "I don't know." And left.